Bonnie Tyler: ‘Tina Turner helped me regain my confidence’

Bonnie Tyler credits Tina Turner’s cover The Best for giving her a much-needed confidence boost.

The Total Eclipse of the Heart singer initially recorded the song for her 1988 album Hide Your Heart, and released the track as its lead single.

However, it stalled in the charts, with Bonnie admitting she couldn’t understand the poor response to the tune – which later became an international hit for Tina.

Speaking to RetroPopMagazine.com, she recalls: “I recorded The Best two years before Tina Turner. I actually thought, ‘Oh, wow, this song is absolutely fantastic’.

“I couldn’t understand it,” says Bonnie of the lukewarm response to her version. “You know, it didn’t get any airplay and then, two years later, Tina Turner did it.

“She did put a wonderful middle eight in there that I didn’t have in the original one. They changed the song. But no, it gave me back my confidence in my choice of material, because I was beginning to doubt myself.”